​In this episode, Bayo Adelaja spoke with Helen Lin, Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at FINCA Impact Finance (FIF), one of the leading microfinance organisations around the world.

Present in 6 African countries, FIF is creating socially responsible opportunities for Africans to access finance digitally as well as through branches. 

FINCA Impact Finance is leveraging the power of technology to expand financial inclusion, putting financial power in the hands of or around the corner from our customers, no matter where they live.

Financial inclusion has seen unprecedented growth over the years and it shows no signs of slowing.

According to research carried out by the Mastercard Foundation, “in 2011 the level of financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa was just over 23 percent. In 2017, it was almost 43 percent, with a significant increase coming from digital financial services.” Read more. 

According to Findex, while the share of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa with a financial institution account barely budged, the share with a mobile money account almost doubled to 21 percent. In every other region of the world, mobile money use is lower than 10 percent.” Read more. 

This growth is due to the growth of “hot fintech ventures” across the continent, some of which are included in the 2018 Briter Bridges sector map below. 

However, the innovation being carried out by large scale institutions like FINCA Impact Finance is the bedrock of the move towards financial inclusion. We had a fantastic conversation about the transition to branchless banking, which Helen covers in more depth in this report.

As Helen rightly points out in the interview,  traditional banking institutions are still best equipped to navigate the regulatory aspects of very difficult markets

Lean in as we have a no holds barred conversation with a verified shaper of Africa’s finance industry, Helen Lin.

Go directly to anchor - the link

​Secret Link for the extra curious.

AfriTech XYZ  Cohort Update

• We're pleased to share that Ecoplastile, a Ugandan social enterprise that addresses the challenges of urban waste management (plastic pollution), chronic youth unemployment, deforestation and climate change, has become a finalist in the global Earth Tech competition. 
• Find out how PayHippo is democratising funding for Nigeria’s small businesses in our latest interview where we  interview Chioma Okocha, one of the founders of PayHippo. Chioma shares tells us how her company is helping SMEs in Nigeria access funding to help them grow their business.
• The cohort are currently taking part in curated conversations where they have been matched with founders and senior leadership teams from other cohort companies to have conversations that will benefit the growth of both organisations.

 #AfriTechTrends: Renewables & Big Tech in Africa: 

• FAST Company has announced the 10 most innovative companies in Africafor 2020. This year’s honorees are picked in line with the emerging African Tech trends of 2020: fintech, e-commerce and the usual suspects. What's exciting is the support of sustainable innovations, such as Tizeti who are harnessing the power of the sun for an affordable 4G network.  
• Continuing the renewable theme, Innovate UK have just backed green startup Open Energy Labs who teach electronics to Zambian students. OEL’s target is to integrate their educational kit and mobile learning platform into the secondary school curriculum across Zambia by 2025.
• TikTok is quietly snapping up creatives from YouTube and Instagram for a full Africa roll-out. The Chinese company behind the world’s fastest-growing social media app had already been holding “creator sessions” and meetups around the city in 2019, urging creative young Kenyans to learn about the benefits of joining the “fun, cool short video platform”.
• Africa isn't a comic relief campaign. We are the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent and we're open for business. We have 600+ technology hubs, and big tech companies from the US have noticed. With 1.3 billion people and a young population. These are just some of the reasons Jack Dorsey & Elon Musk are turning to Africa in 2020. Watch the whole story

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A colossal two-thirds of the entire Nigerian economy is classified as the ‘informal economy’, worth millions and largely cash-based. The sector creates significantly more employment opportunities than its formal economy, with a large proportion of the population operating as small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The informal economy is predominantly cash-based, making it difficult to own a credit footprint. This is also partly because a limited means of formally identifying people has resulted in an absence of traceable data and financial records.  Most Nigerians (and Africans in general), find it difficult to access formal financial products or services for this reason. ​